Canadian Foreign Minister: Ottawa to maintain pressure on Baku for release of Armenian prisoners

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YEREVAN, August 5. /ARKA/. Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly confirmed that Canada will continue to pressure Azerbaijan to release Armenian prisoners./pp “Canada will continue to press Azerbaijan to engage in good faith with Armenia, resolve the conflict through a negotiated and peaceful political solution by respecting the Helsinki Principles, liberate arbitrary held Armenian prisoners, respect Armenia’s territorial integrity and refrain from the use of force and threatening rhetoric,” Joly said in a statement was highlighted by the Armenian National Committee of Canada on Facebook./pp

Officially, Azerbaijan acknowledges holding only 33 Armenian prisoners of war and civilian detainees. However, Armenian human rights activists believe that there are still 80 Armenian prisoners unaccounted for./pp

Among those detained in Azerbaijan are former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, former Presidents Bako Sahakyan and Arkadi Ghukasyan, former Parliament Speaker David Ishkhanyan, former Foreign Minister and Presidential Assistant David Babayan, and former Deputy Commander of the Artsakh Defense Army David Manukyan. Additionally, former President Arayik Harutyunyan and former Defense Army Commander Levon Mnatsakanyan are also under arrest./p